Annually, the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy awards the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting to a stellar investigative report that has had a direct impact on government, politics and policy at the national, state or local levels. Honored for work published in the previous year, six reporting teams were chosen as finalists for the 2025 prize, which carries a $10,000 award for finalists and $25,000 for the winner. The Journalist’s Resource interviewed the finalists for a behind-the-scenes look at the processes, tools and legwork it takes to create an important piece of investigative journalism. The winner of the $25,000 was announced on April 3, 2025.
Reporters reveal how they accessed a huge tranche of Medicare data and offer tips on notetaking for data analysis, using AI for coding and exercising persistence when seeking sources.
Expert Commentary
San Francisco Chronicle investigative reporters Jennifer Gollan and Susie Neilson share tips for building a national database from scratch, interviewing trauma survivors, negotiating with public records officials and more.
Expert Commentary
Reporter Shoshana Walter shares tips on using confidential child welfare records and interviewing traumatized parents.
Expert Commentary
Dave Philipps of The New York Times shares how he reported his stories despite extremely limited access to military officials and personnel. We have summarized his advice in nine tips.
Expert Commentary
The series, a collaboration with the San Francisco Chronicle, shows how hundreds of officers used clean-record agreements to conceal their past.
Expert Commentary
KARE 11 journalists explain how they found alarming fraudulent Medicaid billing practices at several addiction recovery centers and share reporting tips.
Expert Commentary